Reggie Calloway

Born in Cincinnati, OH

From Cincinnati, OH, Reggie Calloway's father was a trumpet player, his aunt
sang opera, and his uncle played keyboards. As a child, he pecked out tunes on
his grandmother's piano. As a teen, Calloway began writing songs and formed
his first bands. While attending Kentucky State University, together with his brother
Vincent he picked fellow students to form the band Midnight Star in the mid-'70s.
They began performing around Ohio and Kentucky. Moving to New York, the
band began to build a strong reputation. Based on this word of mouth, Dick Griffey
signed the band to his Los Angeles, CA-based Solar Records. Their first two LPs for
the label were Standing Together (1981) and Victory (1982). Their third LP, No
Parking on the Dance Floor, was the career maker, selling over two million copies,
parking at number two R&B for ten weeks in summer 1983. The LP's singles were
"Freak-A-Zoid" and "No Parking on the Dance Floor."
Reggie Calloway produced and co-wrote the group's "Operator" with Bo Watson
and Belinda Lipscomb. The funky track, which features an actual telephone operator,
held the number one R&B spot for five weeks in late 1984. It was included on the
gold LP Planetary Invasion, which peaked at number seven R&B in late 1984. Their
next album Headlines went gold, going to number seven R&B in summer 1986 and
was bolstered by the singles "Headlines" "Midas Touch" (number seven R&B), and
"Engine No.9".
In 1988, Reggie Calloway's manager Shep Gordon suggested that he work with another
client of his, Teddy Pendergrass. After meeting with Pendergrass to see if they could
work together and to see if he could still sing after being involved in an auto accident
that left the singer as a quadriplegic. Based on that meeting, Calloway co-wrote "Joy"
with Joel Davis and Vincent. The mid-tempo groover held the number one R&B spot
for two weeks in summer 1988.
Reggie and Vincent began doing outside production for other Solar acts: Klymaxx's
"Meeting in the Ladies Room," the Whispers and the Deele (which included future
mega-producers LA and Babyface), as well as Natalie Cole (Everlasting). The brothers
left Midnight Star to concentrate on songwriting and production. Forming the duo
Calloway, they had a gold smash with "I Wanna Be Rich" and issued two Solar albums,
All The Way (1990, with "I Want to Be Rich") and Let's Get Smooth (1992, with "Let's
Get Smooth").
In 2000 Reggie released his solo album "Walking Through Raindrops" on the English
Expansion label.

Discography  :